Hollow heart (potato)
Not an infection: growth swings, such as cool spells or uneven water, kill a small patch of cells in the center of the tuber
| Type | Not an infection |
|---|---|
| Cause | Not an infection: growth swings, such as cool spells or uneven water, kill a small patch of cells in the center of the tuber |
About
Potatoes that look fine outside but have a hole or brown spot in the middle when you cut them. It doesn't affect taste or safety.
Also called hollow heart, brown center, hollow heart of potato
How to recognize it
Symptoms
A brown patch of dead tissue in the center of the tuber (brown center), which can open into a star-shaped or irregular hollow. The outside of the potato looks normal.
Often confused with
Brown center is often the early stage of the same disorder and may never open into a hole.
Worse when
Cool weather as tubers start to form (in one study, three weeks of 50°F nights and 64°F days at tuber set raised brown center sharply), wet and dry swings in the soil, and poor nutrition.
How it spreads
It does not spread.
When
Develops in summer while tubers form and grow; found at harvest or in the kitchen.
What to do, gentlest first
This is not an infection, so sprays for diseases won't help. Fix the cause below.
Water evenly Prevent
Give potatoes about 1 inch of water a week, soaking the soil once or twice a week, and check with a trowel that it's moist below the top couple of inches.
Fertilize by a soil test and space evenly Prevent
Feed only as a soil test calls for, and plant seed pieces 10 to 12 inches apart in rows 30 to 36 inches apart.
Cut it out and eat the rest By hand
Trim away the hollow or brown center; the rest of the potato is fine to cook.
Plants it affects
Sources
Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.